MADISON, Wis. -- Former Wisconsin men’s soccer defender AJ Cochran was one of 18 players named to the U.S. Under-23 Men’s National Team camp roster on Friday, as the team prepares for five days of training Aug. 3-7 at Nassau, Bahamas.

The St. Louis, Missouri, native will take part in the camp as part of the USA’s continuing effort to focus early on the qualification process for the 2016 Summer Olympics, taking place in Rio de Janeiro. Training and scrimmages will be overseen by U.S. MNT staff assistant coaches Tab Ramos and Andi Herzog, along with goalkeeper coach Chris Woods and U.S. U-18 MNT head coach Javier Perez.

One of the most decorated players in program history, Cochran became the first Badger selected in the Major League Soccer (MLS) Draft since 2005 after being taken with the 16th overall pick by the Houston Dynamo this past January.

The first UW player to be chosen in the first round of the MLS Draft since former NSCAA All-American Mike Gentile in 1996, Cochran was a two-time first-team All-Big Ten honoree while at UW. He earned first-team NSCAA All-American honors last season, as well as being named 2013 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year.

Cochran became the first player in Badgers history to be named a semifinalist for the Hermann Trophy, an award given annually to the nation’s top men’s collegiate soccer player by the Missouri Athletic Club.

Starting in all 21 matches for the Badgers last season, Cochran guided the team to its first NCAA tournament appearance in nearly two decades. He anchored a back line that earned seven shutouts in 2013, allowing just seven goals in Big Ten play. Cochran tallied six points on three goals in 2013, including a pair of game-winners.